Poll shows religion will be an important issue for 2012 voters

While constitutionally, the United States may be a secular nation, a new survey by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), indicates that faith will remain a big issue for large numbers of voters. The 2011 American Values Survey, which was released Nov. 7th, indicates, for instance that more than two thirds (67%) of the electorate believes it is either very important or somewhat important for a presidential candidate to have strong religious beliefs. The percentage is highest among White Evangelicals (93%) and lowest among the religiously unaffiliated (32%).

Oh... and atheists are still the group voters are least comfortable voting for.

Replies to This Discussion

Well, theists can't leave religion out of anything -- the public sector, their jobs, etc. But if the PPRI is the one doing the research, it's not at all suprising that that is what they'd "uncover" in their polling.

Agree with Dallas. A quick look at the board of directors of the PRRI show just how "unbiased" their research regarding religious attitudes, in all probability, is. Virtually everyone on the board is either a "Rev." "Rabbi" or in some way affiliated with an organization or institution that promotes theism.

Really? Is this news? Of course religion plays a part in presidential elections. It always has. Why have we only had one Catholic President? Never a Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, etc. etc. Because religion plays a part in how people vote and who they vote for.

Is it important that a President have religious views? I don't think so. Will a potential president's religious views effect my thoughts on voting for him/her? You bet it will! Because to me it speaks volumes about character and intellect. I would sooner vote for a presidential candidate who seems to merely give lip-service to religion to appease the stupefied masses (Obama) than one who vehemently and zealously touts actual belief in the idiocy of their particular ideology (Romney, Bachmann, etc.).

So, yeah. Religion is important to voters. Even Atheists like me. I am forced to ask, did we really need a poll to tell us that?

You might not have needed a poll to tell you that but for crunching numbers, you need facts more than intuition. You can attack the methodology or the lack of a percieved need as you see it, but hey, the more data available on a subject, the better a picture we have of it.

I have a son, otherwise a nice guy, who is intensely religious -- Independent Baptist (left of Southern). In 2000 he voted for Duh (George Duh-bya Bush) to keep legal abortions and gay marriage out of this country. I tried explaining that the President had nothing to do with either, as his method of delivery of choice was a Constitutional amendment. Ah, well.